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kvreadsandrecs's review against another edition
4.0
My heart hurts for this man and his family. But his patriotism to lear our country through one of it’s most notable events is impressive. Thank you for representing our country, Mr. Raskin.
alexandrabree's review against another edition
1.0
I’m leaving this book with conflicted opinions.
The death of his son Tommy by suicide has tragically impacted Mr. Reskin and he deserves every condolence, sympathy and prayer. And not just him but his family, particularly his wife and Tommy’s broader social circle.
His sons death however had nothing to do with January 6th, be it mental illness or impulse or other (or a conjecture of many things) that drive Tommy Raskin to take his own life. It was and is misplaced to conflate the two events. This is a harsh and unforgiving statement I know, it sounds heartless after the pages and pages of wrenching trauma expressed but
Mr. Raskin should have never been asked to put his sons death aside to participate in the bipartisan political theatrics and posturing that ensued. I am certain it did nothing but add injury to injury for both Mr. Raskin and his wife.
There was threat to democracy, this was not a coup organized by anything. Physical safety concerns that a handful of wing nuts were expressing their displeasure at the election results is as far as reason can go. This drawn out drama around the event that leans of hyperbole, false information and emotional turmoil is the most concerning of the whole event.
These people were/are not demons or martyrs, literally a blip on the radar. This is the most clear “mountain of a molehill” situation and this book only adds to the ridiculousness of it all.
This book should have never been written because the events within should have never taken place. I am not an American and thus have no political team but it should have gone something like:
Tommy’s suicide, January 6th, Mr. Raskin steps aside for whoever, while he takes an appropriate parcel of time to mourn his son, support his wife and family and mentally recuperate. The men who broke into the building are prosecuted to the extent of the law, Donald Trump is asked to address the situation, denounce the people (which I think he did, ungraciously but it’s Trump so what do you expect?), and make a general apology or statement that reinforces the whole thing or something like it should not ever happen again
It was obvious as a political outsider that both R/D had only losses and no gains on impeaching Trump and being completely hysterical in either direction.
The death of his son Tommy by suicide has tragically impacted Mr. Reskin and he deserves every condolence, sympathy and prayer. And not just him but his family, particularly his wife and Tommy’s broader social circle.
His sons death however had nothing to do with January 6th, be it mental illness or impulse or other (or a conjecture of many things) that drive Tommy Raskin to take his own life. It was and is misplaced to conflate the two events. This is a harsh and unforgiving statement I know, it sounds heartless after the pages and pages of wrenching trauma expressed but
Mr. Raskin should have never been asked to put his sons death aside to participate in the bipartisan political theatrics and posturing that ensued. I am certain it did nothing but add injury to injury for both Mr. Raskin and his wife.
There was threat to democracy, this was not a coup organized by anything. Physical safety concerns that a handful of wing nuts were expressing their displeasure at the election results is as far as reason can go. This drawn out drama around the event that leans of hyperbole, false information and emotional turmoil is the most concerning of the whole event.
These people were/are not demons or martyrs, literally a blip on the radar. This is the most clear “mountain of a molehill” situation and this book only adds to the ridiculousness of it all.
This book should have never been written because the events within should have never taken place. I am not an American and thus have no political team but it should have gone something like:
Tommy’s suicide, January 6th, Mr. Raskin steps aside for whoever, while he takes an appropriate parcel of time to mourn his son, support his wife and family and mentally recuperate. The men who broke into the building are prosecuted to the extent of the law, Donald Trump is asked to address the situation, denounce the people (which I think he did, ungraciously but it’s Trump so what do you expect?), and make a general apology or statement that reinforces the whole thing or something like it should not ever happen again
It was obvious as a political outsider that both R/D had only losses and no gains on impeaching Trump and being completely hysterical in either direction.
jenlg64's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
5.0
wooknight's review against another edition
5.0
The author does an extraordinary job of describing two extremely painful events that happened in his life so close in time . Extremely touching and inspiring
yellowhouselady's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
This is both a love letter to Raskin’s son and an eye witness to the tragedy of January 6th. I recommend it to everyone.
sjgrodsky's review against another edition
5.0
Marking it read so I can make some notes as I read.
Book was written quickly and so some minor errors.
-pretty sure he was looking for a vacation house on the Eastern Shore, not the Western Shore.
-it’s Piney Branch Middle School, not Piney Branch Elementary.
-it’s Dupont Circle, not DuPont Circle
-Black Lives Matter Plaza is at 16th and I, not on Penn.
Raskin represents me in Congress, and I couldn’t be happier with him. Mark me as a fan. Reading his book gave me some insight into who he is as a person:
Very smart, well educated, hard working. Willing to parse through legalisms that make my eyes glaze over
Member of a warm and involved family. The Raskins are like the Sterns used to be.
A politician: he criticizes some Republicans in congress, but avoids ad hominem attacks. Because who knows, you might find common cause on some issue in the future.
MANY good insights and background on the insurrection and impeachment that were new to me:
Page 231. “[Trump] understood that he could deploy the violence instrumentally for his own political purposes, while his followers enjoyed it intrinsically for its own sadistic delights.”
Some (unnamed) heavy-duty Hollywood creatives volunteered to review January 6 footage and create a narrative film for the impeachment effort. He declined, saying that the “Hollywood touch” would lead to questions about authenticity. Good call, IMHO.
Page 233. All members of the impeachment team had a security detail to protect them from the “racist, anti-Asian, anti-Latino, homophobic, misogynistic, and anti-Semitic death threats and online harassment.”
Book was written quickly and so some minor errors.
-pretty sure he was looking for a vacation house on the Eastern Shore, not the Western Shore.
-it’s Piney Branch Middle School, not Piney Branch Elementary.
-it’s Dupont Circle, not DuPont Circle
-Black Lives Matter Plaza is at 16th and I, not on Penn.
Raskin represents me in Congress, and I couldn’t be happier with him. Mark me as a fan. Reading his book gave me some insight into who he is as a person:
Very smart, well educated, hard working. Willing to parse through legalisms that make my eyes glaze over
Member of a warm and involved family. The Raskins are like the Sterns used to be.
A politician: he criticizes some Republicans in congress, but avoids ad hominem attacks. Because who knows, you might find common cause on some issue in the future.
MANY good insights and background on the insurrection and impeachment that were new to me:
Page 231. “[Trump] understood that he could deploy the violence instrumentally for his own political purposes, while his followers enjoyed it intrinsically for its own sadistic delights.”
Some (unnamed) heavy-duty Hollywood creatives volunteered to review January 6 footage and create a narrative film for the impeachment effort. He declined, saying that the “Hollywood touch” would lead to questions about authenticity. Good call, IMHO.
Page 233. All members of the impeachment team had a security detail to protect them from the “racist, anti-Asian, anti-Latino, homophobic, misogynistic, and anti-Semitic death threats and online harassment.”
brian06's review
5.0
Congressman Jamie Raskin tells the story of the 45 days at the start of 2021 that permanently changed his life. On 31 December, his brilliant 25-year-old son, Tommy, took his own life. Six days later, a vicious mob invaded the cradle of democracy in a violent insurrection at the Capitol. Rep. Raskin led the House impeachment effort to hold trump accountable for inciting the political violence. “Unthinkable” is the perfect title for Raskin’s memoir book because it describes a superhuman feat. I don’t care if you’re a Democrat or Republican. If more people in Congress had Raskin’s intelligence, sense of right and wrong and love for - and understanding - of democracy, we would much better off than we currently are.